Vacuum cleaner



c. w. FlscHl-:R 3,065,488

VACUUM CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 27, 1962 Filed July 1s, 1961 @Wuwf Z 5 666 m. my 99 G A15 l5 j jwm e @Mgg n y M Nov. 27, 1962 c. w. FISCHER 3,065,488

VACUUM CLEANER Filed July l5, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V IN V EN TOR.' 'd// 2% @MCM United States Patent Olice atented Nov. 27, lE

VACUUM CLEANER Carl W. Fischer, S225 N. i'oyne Ave., Chicago 25, Ill. Filed :any is, raar, ser. Na. 123,696 Claims. (Ci. TLS-32S) The present invention relates to vacuum cleaners, and 1n particular to that type of vacuum cleaner wherein the dirt collecting tank and the motor are mounted on the handle of the cleaner, with a dirt gathering assembly at one end and a manipulating handle at the opposite end. Such cleaners are sometimes referred to as broom-type vacuum cleaners.

In such cleaners difficulty has been encountered in providing articulation between the handle assembly and the dirt gatherer. Consequently, many models of these cleaners incorporate dirt gathering heads or nozzles which are rigid with the handle assembly.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide-a new and improved broom-type Vacuum cleaner having a dirt gathering assembly mechanically connected to the handle assembly and incorporating means permitting the dirt gathering head to assume a multiplicity of angular positions relative to the handle assembly while remaining in dirt gathering position.

Another object is to provide a new and improved.

upper end 'the conduit 32 exits into a fitting 36 which is formed at the lower end of the manipulating handle 20. The handle 20 is hollow, as is the tting, and to prevent dirt from entering into the handle a barrier 38 is inserted therebetween.

The tank housing 26 and its cooperating cap 2S are hollow and adapted to enclose a flexible semi-porous dirt receiving bag di). The bag 40 has an inlet 42 dened by a semi-rigid member 44 which is tted over a circumferential ange 46 on the tting 38 to support the bag 40 in extended and expanded condition. The bag 40 is long enough substantially to ll the tank housing 46, and its lower end rests on a iilter 48 supported by a foraminous diaphragm Si) between the motor compartment 18 and the remainder of the tank housing 26.

The access to the interior of the tank housing 26 is obtained by separating the housing 26 and its cap 28. This is done by sliding the latter upwardly on the handle 20. The tank housing 28 is fitted with a rubber sealing member 52 having an internal rib 53 adapted to t into a circumferential groove 54 in the handle 20 when the cap 28 is in closed position, i.e., the position shown in FIG. 1. The cap can, however, be slid sufliciently upwardly along the manipulating handle 20 to clear the fitting 56, thus allowing the user of the vacuum cleaner to replace or empty the dirt collecting bag 40.

Another object is to provide a new and improved vacuum cleaner which is readily converted from the "broomtype to a floor tank type by disconnecting the dirt gathing assembly from the tank and motor and substituting a hose and dirt gatherer nozzle.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FlG. l (in two parts on one sheet) is a medial sectional view through the vacuum cleaner of the present invention shown in its most upright position;

FIG. 2 is a top plan View of the dirt gathering head, partially broken into section to illustrate internal construction;

FlG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view through the tank Structure, and is taken along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the dirt gathering head and is taken along the lines 4 4 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational View on a small scale showing how the vacuum cleaner of this invention may be used as a floor tank type.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates the vacuum cleaner in its entirety as being composed of'a handle assembly l2 and a head assembly 14. The handle assembly 12 comprises a tank portion i6 having at one end thereof a motor and fan housing 18 and at the opposite end a manipulating handle 20. The head assembly 14 includes a column 22 detachably connected to the handle assembly 12 and a dirt gathering head 24 connected thereto.

The tank portion 16 comprises a generally cylindrical housing 26 which may be made of aluminum or some other light metal, or a high impact synthetic plastic material. At its upper end it is tted with a cap 28 which has a telescoping connection with the tank housing 26 at Si). Within the tank housing 26 and to one side thereof is a dirt conducting conduit 32 which communicates at its lower end with a conduit section 34 integral with the tank housing 26 opposite the motor compartment 18. At its The handle is provided with the customary grip 56 and control switch 58, neither of which need be described in detail inasmuch as their construction is well known in this art.

At the lower end of the tank housing 26 is the blower andmotor compartment 18 which is formed by an extension 60 on the tank housing 26 below the foraminous diaphragm 50 and including the conduit portion 34. A motor 62 of conventional construction, provided with mounting bosses 64, is bolted to a motor support 66 which ,in turn is tted and bolted at 67 to the lower end of the extension 6i). The motor support 66 is provided with suitable outlets, slots, or apertures 69 (FIG. 5) to permit the exit of air which is drawn therethrough. The air is drawn through the conduit system from the head assembly 14 and into and through the bag 40 by an impeller or fan 63 mounted on one end 7G of the motor shaft. The other end 72 of the motor shaft is journaled in a bearing 74 and projects from the motor support 66 for reasons to be hereinafter described.

An electrical cable 76 connects the switch with the motor and runs down the interior of the handle portion 20 and alongside the conduit 32 to the motor compartment 18, where suitable connections width the motor are made.

The head assembly 14 includes, as previously noted, the support column 22 and the dirt gathering head 24. The support column 22 is tubular and substantially circular in cross section, and is adapted at its upper end to ft into an extension 78 formed on the lower end of the motor support 66. It communicates with a passageway 80 in the motor support 66 which leads to the conduits 34 and 32. The column 22 has a dirt conducting passage 82 therethrough which communicates with the passage Si).

The Column 22 is detachably secured to the motor sup- -port 66 by a leaf spring latch assembly which comprises a leaf spring member S4, a detent element 86 carried on the leaf spring 64, and adapted to be received in coinciding apertures 88 in the column 22 and the extension 73. A button 90 mounted on the end of the leaf spring S6 projects through an opening 92 in the column and permits the operator to depress it, thereby removing the detent from the apertures 8% and permitting the column 22 to be slid from the extension 78. The leaf spring 70 is carried in a housing 94 secured to the inside of the co1- aoeaass umn 22 to prevent the escape of dirt through the openings 88 and 92.

At its lower end, the column .22 is pivotally mounted to the dirt gathering head. The latter comprises a housing 96 which, in plan view, is of generally T shape (FIG. 2) having a cross bar portion 93 and a stem portion 1&6. The cross bar portion 98 accommodates a rotatable brush 102 of conventional construction which is mounted on an axle 104, the opposite ends of which are journaled in a pair of larms 1116 which are pivotally mounted yat 16S to the housing 96, thereby eccentrically mounting the brush 102 within the housing. As will be pointed out hereinafter, when the brush is rotated in the counterclockwise direction as seen in FIGS. l and 4, it has a tendency to pivot on the arms 106 downwardly toward the surface to be cleaned, thereby increasing the scrubbing action of the brush itself.

At its lower base the housing 96 is closed by a removable plate 110 which has an inwardly turned lip 1112 engaging a boss 114 at the forward end of the housing and a pair of spring elements 116 at the rear end which engage the exterior of the housing 96. The plate 110 has an opening 118 through which the `brush 102 is adapted vto project for the cleaning action and to provide the inlet for the dirt removed from the surface being vacuumed. rl'he housing is provided with a rubber'bumper 117 to ,protect furniture and the like during vacuuming.

At the base of the stem of the housing 96 there are provided a pair of support wheels 120, mounted on axles k122, fixed to pairs of parallel walls 124 forming a bivIt should be noted that the axles 122 are aligned as are the wheels 120.

At its lower end, the column 22 ares or bells outwardly as indicated at 126. It terminates in a wide section fitted into the bifurcation and having bearing portions 12S pivoted on the inner ends of the axles 122 4and lying adjacent the inner walls 124. In cross section, this portion of the column has a partly cylindrical wall portion 130 provided with a stop 132 which cooperates with a stop 134 on the housing 96. Completing this assembly, and to insure substantial sealing of the housing 96 against the column .22, is a complementary curved wall 136 sealing against the bottom plate 110 and which is riveted to the column 22 at 138 at the neck of the entry into the section defined by the walls A139 and 136. By comparing FIGS. 2 and 4, it will be appreciated that the handle assembly of the vacuum cleaner 1G may assume a very large number of positions between the lower position of FIG. 4 and the straight upright position of FIG. 1, thereby permitting the operator to run the head portion 24 under low pieces of furniture, thereby reaching many places conveniently and with much less stooping than would be required for the type of broom type cleaner, wherein the head is rigid with the handle, or the tank type of cleaner Where the nozzle is mounted at the end of a hose.

The brush 102 is driven from a belt 149 which runs in a groove 142 in the brush axle 104 and over the end of a stub shaft 144 which has a retaining lip 146 on its outer end (FIG. 2). The shaft 144 is journaled in a bushing 143 which is secured between two halves of a housing 150, 152, which are secured together by bolts, not shown. The halves 15G, 152 of the housing provide a gear case and the half 152 is integral with the curved wall of the column 22 and has a web 154 connecting it to the rear wall. the center of the column 22 at its lower end, as seen most clearly in FIG. 2. It should also be observed that the axis of the shaft 144, and therefore of the gear case 150,

.152, is aligned with the axis of the axles 122, and therefore the column 22 pivots on the axis of the axles 122.

` On the end of the shaft v144 opposite the lip 146 is a The gear case 156, 152 is located at substantially bevel gear 156 which is in constant mesh with a smaller bevel gear 158 which is mounted on the lower end of a drive shaft 160. The drive shaft 166 extends upwardly through the pedestal 22 in a housing 162 to one side thereof, and is journaled in bearings 164 at its upper and lower ends. At its upper end the drive shaft is provided with a coupling member 166 which is connected to a second coupling member 168 which is carried at the outer end of the motor drive shaft portion 72. The coupling members 166 and 168 are of the engaging finger quick connect and quick disconnect type, and when the pedestal 22 is in the position shown in FIG. 1, the coupling members 166 and 168 are engaged. Thus when the motor 62 is driving the impeller or fan 68, it also is driving the brush 102 through the drive shaft 6i), gears 15S and 156, shaft 144, and drive belt 140.

To make certain that the column 22 and extension 78 are properly aligned to ,engage the coupling members 166 and`168 and to engage the latch detent 86, an indexing key means 170 is provided on the column and in the extension.

When the vacuum cleaner is running, the belt 140 is driven in the direction of the arrows and the brush is driven in'the counterclockwise direction. This driving direction places a tension on the lower reach of the belt, which pulls the brush downwardly. This movement is accommodated by the mounting arms 106 and forces the brush against the surface being vacuumed to increase the scrubbing effect of the brush.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided a broom type vacuum cleaner which is readily maneuverable, and which has a dust and dirt -gathering head 24 which may -be moved to a variety of positions with respect to the remainder of the cleaner, so that the head can be pushed under low pieces of furniture to clean the floor and carpeting extending thereunder.

It should also be observed that this type of cleaner may be converted into the conventional tank type by removing the head assembly 14. This is accomplished by de- `pressing the button 90 on the latch assembly to disengage `the detent 86 so that the column 22 may be slipped downl, and the tank 16, instead of being upright or nearly so,

would be laid on the floor (FIG. 5) and the operator, by means of a flexible hose -174 and nozzle 176 connected to the cleaner and tank, would use the vacuum in the manner which is well known in the art.

`From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the objectives which were claimed at the outset of this specification have been fully attained by the structure shown and described. i V

While a preferred embodiment of the vacuum cleaner constituting this invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that numerous modications and variations thereof may be made without departing from the underlying principles of the invention, It is therefore desired, by the following claims, to include within the scope of the invention all such variations and modifications by which substantially the results of this invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent means.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A vacuum cleaner of the type having a tank on the handle, comprising in combination, means forming a tank adapted to house a semiporous dirt collecting bag having an inlet, conduit means within said tank having an outlet connected to said bag inlet, a blower mounted at that end of said tank opposite said bag inlet and including a motor and an impeller, and a dirt gathering assembly detachably connected to said tank adjacent said blower, said dirt gathering assembly including a housing adapted to be pushed over the surface to be vacuumed and having an opening through which dirt is sucked, an elongate rotatable brush mounted in said housing and projecting slightly through said opening to contact the surface to be cleaned, a hollow column pivotally mounted on said housing, means detachably connecting said column to said tank at the inlet to said conduit means whereby the interior of said housing and said conduit mean are interconnected, and -drive means interconnecting said rotatable brush and said motor, said drive means including gearing in said housing, a rotatable shaft in said column connected to drive said gearing, and a coupling between said shaft and said blower motor.

2. A vacuum cleaner of the type having a tank on the handle, comprising in combination, means forming a tank adapted to house a semiporous dirt collecting bag having an inlet, conduit means within said tank having an outlet connected to said bag inlet, a blower mounted at one end of said tank opposite said bag inlet and including a motor and an impeller, and a dirt gathering assembly detachably connected to said tank adjacent said blower, said dirt gathering assembly including a housing adapted to be pushed over the surface to be vacuumed and having an opening through which dirt is sucked, an elongate rotatable bmsh mounted in said housing and projecting slightly through said opening to contact the surface to be cleaned, a pair of Wheels mounted on the outside of said housing and adapted to support the vacnum cleaner on the surface to be vacuumed for move ment thereacross, a column pivotally mounted on said housing, a gear assembly at the lower end of said column and in said housing, a belt drivingly connecting said gear assembly with said brush, means detachably connecting said column to said tank, a conduit formed within said column and interconnecting the interior of said housing with the end of said conduit means in said tank opposite the outlet from said conduit means, Iand a drive shaft rotatably mounted within said column and interconnecting said gear assembly and said motor.

3. A vacuum cleaner of the type having a tank on the handle, comprising in combination, means forming a tank adapted to house a semiporous dirt collecting bag having an inlet, conduit means within said tank having an outlet connected to said bag inlet, a blower mounted at one end of said tank opposite said bag inlet and including a motor and an impeller, and a dirt gathering assembly detachably connected to said tank adjacent said blower, said dirt gathering assembly including a T-shaped housing adapted to be pushed over the surface to be vacuumed and having an opening in the cross bar portion thereof through which dirt is sucked, an elongate rotatable brush swingably mounted in said housing in the cross bar portion thereof and projecting slightly through said opening to contact the surface to be cleaned, a pair of wheels mounted on the outside of said housing adjacent the outer end of the stem portion thereof and adapted to support the vacuum cleaner on the surface to be vacuumed for movement thereacross, a column pivotally mounted on said housing on the axes of said wheels, a gear assembly at the lower end of said column and in said housing, a belt drivingly connecting said gear assembly with said brush, means detachably connecting said column to said tank, a conduit formed within said column and interconnecting the interior of said housing with the end of said conduit means in said tank opposite the outlet from said conduit means and a drive shaft rotatably mounted within said column and interconnecting said gear assembly and said motor.

4. A vacuum cleaner of the type having a tank on the handle, comprising in combination, means forming a two-part tank adapted to house a semiporous dirt collecting bag having an inlet, said tank parts being separable to permit emptying or replacement of said bag, conduit means within said tank having an outlet connected to said bag inlet, a blower mounted at one end of said tank opposite said Ibag inlet and including a motor and an impeller, and a dirt gathering assembly detachably connected to said tank adjacent said blower, said dirt gathering assembly including Va T-shaped housing adapted to be pushed over the surface to be vacuumed and having an opening in the cross bar portion thereof through which dirt is sucked, an elongate rotatable ibrush mounted in said housing in the cross bar portion thereof and projecting yslightly through said opening to Contact the surface to be cleaned, the stem portion of said housing being bifurcated at its outer end, a pair of wheels mounted on the outside of said bifurcated stem portion on axles supported therein and adapted to support the vacuum cleaner on the surface to be vacuumed for movement thereacross, a hollow column having a wide lower end fitted into the stern bifurcation and pivo-tally mounted on ysaid axles, a gear assembly at the lower end of said column and in said housing, a belt drivingly connecting said gear assembly with said brush, means detachably connecting said column to said tank, said column forming a conduit interconnecting the interior of said housing with the end of said conduit means in said tank opposite the outlet from Isaid conduit means, and a drive shaft rotatably mounted within said column and interconnecting said gear assembly and said motor.

5. A vacuum cleaner of the type having a tank on the handle, comprising in combination, means forming a two-part tank adapted to house a semiporous dirt collecting bag having an inlet, a conduit mounted within and secured to the rst of said tank parts and having an outlet at its upper end, a tubular manipulating handle having a fitting secured to said conduit at the outlet therefrom and adapted' to support said bag at the latters inlet with the interior of said fitting communicating with the interior of said bag, said second tank part having an opening therein to receive said tubular handle whereby said second tank part is slidable on said tubular handle to enable said parts to be separated to permit emptying lor replacement of said bag, a blower mounted at that end of said tank opposite said bag inlet and including a housing having a motor and an irnpeller mounted therein, and a dirt gathering assembly detachably connected to said blower housing, said dirt gathering assembly including a housing adapted to be pushed over the surface to be vacuumed and having an opening through which dirt is sucked, an elongate rotatable brush mounted in said assembly housing and projecting `slightly through said opening to contact the surface to be cleaned, a hollow column pivotally mounted on said assembly housing and interconnecting the interior of said assembly housing and said conduit, and drive means interconnecting said rotatable brush and said motor.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,557,212 Lee Oct. 13, 1925 2,269,482 Replogle Jan. 13, 1942 2,499,330 Reeves Feb. 28, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 280,118 Great Britain NOV. 10, 1927 

